Uggla: Priestnall will not be involved in the club

Scott Priestnall will not be involved in Yeovil Town once the deal for him to sell the club to SU Glovers is “all wrapped up“, according to new owner Matt Uggla.

Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Sheridan Robins on Thursday, he confirmed that his group, including former England rugby player Paul Sackey, was “in charge and making decisions” following the announcement of the takeover.

He said he hopes manager Mark Cooper will have “a few more players” in the squad for this weekend’s visit by Woking and former manager Darren Sarll to Huish Park.

Talking about his commitment to winning back fans’ trust, he said: “I can say as much as you want, but it is going to be our actions that prove we are the real deal. I do not have the same background as other people who want to come in and do other things.

“We are here because we love football, love sport, we have both done what we wanted to do in other areas of our lives and we are comfortable to follow a passion rather than chasing a cheque.

“If you ask anyone who owns a football club, you are not making any money, it is probably going to be a pit where you are throwing money in to it.

“I hope they can get behind us and give us a chance. I don’t think we are going to let them down, but they will be the judge of that.”

The interview in full:

SR: Can you tell fans more about what ‘stewardship’ means, are you now the owner or is that transaction still to be done?
MU: Stewardship is the right word because I think the fans own the club, they are the ones who keep it alive, it has been here over 100 years and it will be here long after we have gone so I don’t think it is appropriate to call ourselves ‘owners’ – maybe custodians is a better word.

SR: Is there still work to be done on this transaction before you are in charge?
MU: We are in charge, we are in the building and making all the decisions. There is a piece of the deal to be done but we have seen everything we need to see, we are certain it is done. We have moved down to the area, so as far as we are concerned this is our club and we are in charge.

SR: Are the specific roles for the people involved in the deal, such as Paul Sackey?
MU: This is our first week in the door, we have roles outlined but I don’t think we are going to be announcing them just yet because we are still finalising them. But, we have a vision and I think that will become clear in the next couple of weeks.

“We love the stadium, we love the people here”

SR: Why Yeovil Town?
MU: We looked at a couple of other clubs and then we came down here and the first day we got here we got a good feeling. We love the stadium, we love the people here, we loved meeting Martyn (Starnes) and Stuart (Robins) and could not believe how far it had fallen. So we see it as a good opportunity. Some teams in this league – not naming any names – may have reached their ceiling, but the ceiling for Yeovil is much higher than where it is sitting right now, that is proven. My daughter lives not too far away, so it is nice to be able to spend more time with her and live closer to her.

SR: People will know Paul Sackey’s sporting background, but what can you tell us about you?
MU: I started off working in property and built a portfolio out, then I moved in to working with the family on more financial stuff, and then the opportunity came with Yeovil pretty quickly. We had been looking at options and we thought – let’s go for it.

SR: There is an issue with the ownership of the stadium with the local council, what can you tell us about what you will be in charge of and what you will own?
MU: I am not sure I am allowed to comment too much. We have seen everything we need to see, we are confident we are getting what we want and it is the best outcome for the club and the fans. It will be revealed very shortly, I hope.

SR: Is the aim to own the stadium?
MU: Yes, 100%. I think we are very certain that is happening.

SR: Will Scott Priestnall still be involved in the club?
MU: Once everything is wrapped up, no, he will not be involved. I think he is going to resign as Chairman, so he will be gone.

SR: What are your priorities for Yeovil Town going forward?
MU: I think we have to build the club back up, it is bare bones at the moment. The fact it has not got a physio, has not got the right strength and conditioning coaches, the stadium is tired, it needs some work doing to it, we need to add to the playing squad. It is almost going to be patchwork until the end of this year (season) to make sure we stay in the division which I am very confident under Mark (Cooper) we can. You will really start to see big changes once we get past this season and we can really implement everything.

SR: Are you confident Mark Cooper will be able to add to his squad?
MU: I am very confident Mark will add to his squad. Fingers crossed he will have a few more players for Saturday and we can kick on from there.

SR: Would relegation affect anything with regards to your ownership?
MU: No, not at all.

“On the pitch, we have to get back to where this club belongs. That is up for debate amongst fans, I have it in my head where I think it belongs.”

SR: Are you fully behind Mark Cooper?
MU: I am 1,000% behind Mark, we love Mark. We are really lucky to have him, he is very experienced and he has been great throughout this whole process. He has obviously been frustrated with certain things which is understandable, but we are 100% behind Mark. He has already led a team out of this division (at Forest Green Rovers in 200X), so let’s let him do it with us as well.

SR: What are your long-term aims on and off the pitch?
MU: On the pitch, we have to get back to where this club belongs. That is up for debate amongst fans, I have it in my head where I think it belongs. Off the pitch I think we have to do a lot more with the community, not just the things the club does for the community, there has to be a lot more communication, it needs a togetherness. We need to bring in people who want to bring something positive to the side. There are people who are negative and not adding anything to the club and it is not professional. If we want to be a big club, we have to act like a big club and I think we have to have a bit of a clean up on a few things.

SR: How do you aim to regain the fans’ trust?
MU: I can say as much as you want, but it is going to be our actions that prove we are the real deal. I do not have the same background as other people who want to come in and do other things. We are here because we love football, love sport, we have both done what we wanted to do in other areas of our lives and we are comfortable to follow a passion rather than chasing a cheque. If you ask anyone who owns a football club, you are not making any money, it is probably going to be a pit where you are throwing money in to it. I hope they can get behind us and give us a chance. I don’t think we are going to let them down, but they will be the judge of that.

“I think communication is key. I think fans’ forums are key. The hypothetical door is always open, come and have a chat whenever you want.”

SR: You have floated the idea of having a fans’ forum, how are you going to improve communication?
MU: I think communication is key, if someone wants to reach out to me on social media or wants to come to the club and meet with me or Paul I have no problem with that. I think the fans have a right to know lot more than they do. As a football fan myself you always want to know what is going on. I think fans have a big input in helping us guide the club in the right direction. They are the ones who see things that are not working and everyone is an armchair manager, so if they have a suggestion for a player, I am all ears! I think communication is key. I think fans’ forums are key. The hypothetical door is always open, come and have a chat whenever you want.

SR: It is a big game against Woking next week, what do you say to fans who do come every week and those who have not been coming?
MU: I would love to make this place a fortress, a horrible place to come and that will help the performances of the team on the pitch. But there has to be a cohesion between the people inside the club – Martyn, Stuart, Paul, Mark and I – and the people in the stands. We are all after the same thing, there’s nothing hidden going on here. I know there will be people who say there is and that is fine, let them talk. But we have to all move in the same direction, I would love it if everyone got behind us. I am not saying they have to because it’s their choice, but I think we are at the start of an exciting journey and hopefully they will come along for the ride.